but as one with them, and of them.  And through the steady maintenance of this mental attitude, he found himself able to participate in ordinary emotions, ordinary interests and ordinary lives with small and outlying parishes in the concerns of the people committed to their charge.  It is not too much to say that though he was in himself distinctly reserved and apart from the average majority of men, the quiet exercise of his influence over the village of St. Rest had resulted in so attracting and fastening the fibres of love and confidence in all the hearts about him to his own, that anything of serious harm occurring to himself, would have been considered in the light of real fatality and ruin to the whole community.  When a clergyman can succeed in establishing such complete trust and sympathy between himself and his parishioners, there can be no question of his fitness for the high vocation to which he has been ordained.  When, on the contrary, one finds a village or town where the inhabitants are split up into small and quarrelsome sects, and are more or less in a state of objective ferment against the minister who should be their ruling head, the blame is presumably more with the minister than with those who dispute his teaching, inasmuch as he must have fallen far below the expected standard in some way or other, to have thus incurred general animosity.

“If all fails,” mused Walden presently, his thoughts again reverting to the Five Sisters’ question,—­“If Bainton does his errand awkwardly,—­if the lady will not see him,—­if any one of the thousand things do happen that are quite likely to happen, and so spoil all chance of interceding with Miss Vancourt to spare the trees,—­why then I will go myself to-morrow morning to the scene of intended massacre before six o’clock.  I will be there before an axe is lifted!  And if Bainton meant anything at all by his hint, others will be there too!  Yes!—­I shall go,—­in fact it will be my duty to go in case of a row.”

A smile showed itself under his silver-brown moustache.  The idea of a row seemed not altogether unpleasant to him.  He stooped and patted his dog playfully.

“Nebuchadnezzar!” he said, with mock solemnity; whereat Nebbie, lying at his feet, opened one eye, blinked it lazily and wagged his tail—­“Nebuchadnezzar, I think our presence will be needed to-morrow morning at an early hour, in attendance on the Five Sisters!  Do you hear me, Nebuchadnezzar?” Again Nebbie blinked.  “Good!  That wink expresses understanding.  We shall have to be there, in case of a row.”

Nebbie yawned, stretched out his paws, and closed both eyes in peaceful slumber.  It was a beautiful afternoon;—­’sufficient for the day was the evil thereof’ according to Nebbie.  The Reverend John turned over a few more pages of Owen Meredith, and presently came to the conclusion that he would go punting.  The decision was no sooner arrived at than he prepared to carry it out.  Nebbie awoke with a start from his doze to see his